For a confirmed cryophobe like me – someone who hates cold – the onset of winter offers little to look forward to. Where are the days of basking on the beach, driving around with the top down or reading a good book in the hammock?

But all is not lost at this time of year, for the colder months mean bringing the crockpot out of storage and a making soup on Sunday. Carolyn is a master soup maker and yesterday she created one of our favorites – black bean soup.

That name doesn’t tell the whole story, though. In addition to the black beans, we added caramelized onions, sauteed celery, baked butternut squash, garlic and baby carrots. We have some rosemary growing just outside the kitchen door, so a little of that got tossed into the mix as well.

We turned the crockpot on in the morning and went off to visit friends and family for the day. By the time we got home, the house was infused with the most mouth watering aroma. You can have your Yankee candles, infused oils and joss sticks. To my mind, there is nothing that makes a home seem more inviting then the smell of soup emanating from the kitchen.

After pureeing the steaming concoction, we ladled it into bowls, added some grilled kielbasa, then topped it with crumbled Gorgonzola and a dollop of fresh sour cream.  Yummmmm – delicious! I even went back for seconds. Maybe it was the rosemary?

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